


falling all over again

by xxprincessxx



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Childhood Friends, College, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:08:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23232985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxprincessxx/pseuds/xxprincessxx
Summary: "You know, he used to call me Nini, because-""Because you scraped your knees," Ricky finishes for her, finally looking away from the photo to hold her gaze. She looks up at him confused. "How could you possibly know that?" she asks confused.His eyes moved from hers to the photo, "Nina, that's me." he says, pointing at the photo.The girl’s eyes widen, her jaw dropping, "Ricky?" He looks back to the girl, smiling brightly at her, he nods."Holy shit," she whispers.ORRichard Bowen and Nina Salazar-Roberts met at a summer camp, and lost contact of each other. What happens when they meet again years later?
Relationships: E.J. Caswell/Gina Porter, Gina Porter & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen & E.J. Caswell, Ricky Bowen & Nini Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Comments: 31
Kudos: 171





	falling all over again

**Author's Note:**

> this one was a little different for me, but i'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, i truly hope you guys enjoy it :)

Richard had been attending the same summer music program since he was six years old. Every summer he was excited to spend the two months, learning how to play instruments, swim in the lake, and making a number of different crafts, even if he wasn’t good at them. He loved spending his summers doing the things he loved, and hanging out with his friends.

Despite the number of friends, he had at camp, his best friend at camp was a young brunette girl, named Nina. He calls her Nini because he remembers one day she had scraped both her knees, he told her everything was going to be okay, and pressed a small kiss to the wounds after the counsellors put band-aids on them, whispering knee each time he kissed them. It was like a lightbulb went off in his head, and yelled out “Nini!” coining her nickname that day forward. In turn, she called him Ricky, she thought Richard was just too long of a name. When they were younger, the counsellors would always see them running circles around each other, joking, laughing, singing and dancing; anything you could name, they probably did together.

As time passed, Nini and Ricky ended up going from campers to counsellors in training when they turned 13. Being counsellors in training didn’t give them as much time together, but they still managed to find each other during their breaks or at the end of the night when all the campers have been tucked away. They would sit by the fire, or on the dock at the lake and Ricky would bring his guitar and strum lightly, as they chatted about their day and sang along to the music.

The year Ricky turned 14, it was objectively one of the worst years of his life. His parents got divorced, then was forced to move to Chicago with his mom, leaving his entire life behind. And due to Nini and Ricky never exchanging any kind of contact information, he wasn’t able to tell her that he wasn’t going to be able to counsel by her side any longer, which tore him up a little on the inside, especially by the way they had left things last summer.

Nini showed up the first summer he moved, excited to tell her friend all about her middle school graduation, and how nervous she was for high school, and finally get the chance to talk about what happened last summer. But when she arrived, she waited the entire registration day searching for her curly haired best friend. To say she was disappointed was an understatement, that summer she still found herself surrounded by her other friends, but it just wasn’t the same without him by her side. She was a little quieter, not as enthusiastic as she’s been the previous years. Her friends had taken note on her change in behaviour, but decided not to mention it because they knew what that boy meant to her.

Each summer following that one, Nini would show up to registration day, hoping that he would show up, explaining his absence from the previous summers. Eventually, Nini had moved from counsellor in training to a counsellor, and still no sight of her best friend. After the third summer, she decided that it was the last one to be too hopeful. The summers following, she still hoped he would be there on registration day, but when he wasn’t she didn’t let it affect her mood for the rest of the summer, pushing the thought of the young boy out of her mind. She would be attending college soon enough, it was time to put the past in the past.

* * *

Nina was walking through campus, enjoying the brisk Chicago weather. Making her way down from her dorm, still finding things to admire about the downtown area, despite going to school there for a year already. She pulls her phone out of her back pocket, finding a number of incoming texts from Gina and Kourtney. Nina realized she was late to meet up with them, so she quickened her pace to their favourite coffee shop on campus.

When she spots the pair at their usual table, she begins apologizing profusely. Kourtney squeezes Nina’s hand, “Nina, it’s okay, really, what were you doing anyways?”

She sighs, taking a seat next to Gina, “I was working on one of my arrangements for class, and I kind of lost track of time. Both with the arrangement, and just admiring the city, if I’m being honest.” Her admission caused to two girls to laugh.

“What did you want to meet up with us for G?” Nina says, taking a careful sip of the latte her friends had ordered for her while they were waiting.

Gina looked confused for a second, before realizing what her friend had meant. She smiles widely at the two girls sitting with her, “So, you know I’ve been seeing EJ for a little bit, right?” the question she had posed, caused Nina and Kourtney’s interest to peak, they nod in response.

“Well, he wants to meet you guys. He said he would bring his friends with him, so it won’t be completely awkward,” she rushes to say everything in one breath, a little nervous of what her friends were going to say, looking down at her hands fidgeting with the hair tie around her wrist, “And, Seb is actually dating his roommate, Carlos, we’ve met him once. Seb said he’ll come an-”

“Gina,” Kourtney says in attempt to calm the blabbering girl down, “We’d love to.”

“Yeah, G. We’re always talking about meeting new people, I’m sure they’re great. And we’re just happy to see that he makes you happy.” Nina smiles, putting a hand on the girl’s back, reassuring her friend.

Gina smiles at her best friends, “Really?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t we want to meet the boy that’s been taking you away from us?” Kourtney jokes.

They all erupt in giggles, “I love you guys,” Gina says, taking a hold of each of their hands.

“We love too,” Nina smiles at her best friend.

* * *

“Rich,” he hears EJ call out as he opens the door to his apartment.

“Fuck,” Richard nearly jumps out of skin letting a curse slip past his lips, he wasn’t expecting anyone to be in his apartment, given that he lives alone. “How many times do I have to tell you? That key is for emergencies.” He says jokingly, setting his bag down on the couch.

Turning the corner, he sees his best friend in the kitchen, sitting on the counter, snacking on a bowl of cereal. “This is an emergency!” EJ whines.

When Richard moved to Chicago, EJ was the first friend he made. Being the new kid in a completely different state and school, it was hard enough to find friends. EJ had introduced himself on his first day of school, Richard couldn’t help but gravitate towards the guy. So, EJ welcoming himself into Rich’s apartment, is a normal occurrence. Richard usually finding EJ or Carlos in his apartment most days of the week after class or work.

Crossing his arms, he leans against the frame of the kitchen door, examining his friend, nodding along, not believing a word his friend was saying. He gestures for EJ to continue, “Gina, told me her friends said that they’d love to meet me. What if they don’t like me? This is like the ultimate test or something,” he huffs, shoveling another spoon of cereal in his mouth.

Richard sighs, realizing the purpose behind his emergency, even though it’s not quite as big of a crisis as he was expecting, but he gets why his friend is nervous. He walks over, pulling himself up on to the island, right across from his panicking friend, “EJ, you’re a great guy, and I’m sure her friends will like you, as long as you make Gina happy and treat her right.”

He watches as EJ nods, taking in the words he had just spouted. “Plus, if they don’t like you, at least you could move on faster,” Ricky jokes, leaning back a little, kicking his friend lightly on the knee.

EJ groans, chucking a handful of cereal from the box at the boy across from him, “You think you’re such a comedian, don’t you dick?”

“I love you too bro.” Ricky laughs, picking up one of the Cheerios off the island and popping it in his mouth, smiling goofily at his best friend.

* * *

That Friday, EJ and Gina had decided that they were all going to go bowling, a fun and easy environment. Seeing that it would be a lot less awkward than sitting down for dinner and being forced to make conversation. Nearly everyone was there, laces already tied, sitting in the two lanes that they reserved. The only person they were waiting on was Nina.

“She’s always late,” Gina mentions to the group, mostly to EJ, Kourtney nods along confirming her statement, “I don’t think she knows what a clock is,” she laughs at her own joke.

Just as she made her joke, Nina pushes through the doors, jogging over to the group. “I’m sorry, I’m late, again. I know, make all the jokes you want.” She smiles at Gina.

“Nina, don’t worry about it.” Gina chuckles at her friend, “So, everyone, this is Nina.” She gestures to the group, as Nina waves at everyone, recognizing most of them, either through having already met or in photos. Gina starts pointing to the group, calling each person’s name out, Nina trying to keep up, memorizing name to face.

EJ smiles brightly at the short girl, “Nina! It’s so good to finally meet you, Gina talks about you a lot,” he comments, pulling the girl in for a side hug.

Nina chuckles, “All good things I hope,” punching her friend lightly in the arm.

To say Nina was bad at bowling would be an understatement. She got the ball in the gutter an embarrassingly amount of times. By the seventh round, she had 12 points, she was getting incredibly frustrated. As the ball falls into the gutter once more, she turns around sharply “Can anyone help me, please!” she begs, pouting at the group. Some of them too engrossed in their conversation to hear her plea over the loud noises from the rest of the bowling alley.

To her surprise, EJ’s curly haired friend, Richard, stood up approaching her. She’s been amazed all evening by his bowling skills, getting strikes or spares through every round. She’d never admit it to her friends, but he was kind of cute. He picks up a ball, handing it to her, “You throw the ball too late,” he says.

She looks at him confused, rolling the heavy ball in her hands, “What does that even mean?”

He chuckles at her confusion, shaking his head, “You know how you swing the ball? You let go too late that it makes it just drop to the floor.” He guides her to the line where she’s supposed to stop to let the ball go, standing behind her. “You need to let the ball glide across the floor.”

He guides her hand, “You let go when you’re here,” he tells her, moving her arm back, “you need to let go when you’re about here,” he shows her. “Let’s do one together, so you can get the hang of it.”

She nods, letting him guide her arm, as he tells her to let go, she does as she’s told, watching the ball fly across the lane. She smiles brightly, as the ball knocks over 6 pins. She turns around jumping up, bringing her arms around the boy’s neck, hugging him briefly out of excitement. “Oh my god, did you see that? 6 pins!” she says excitedly, pulling away from him just as quickly, “Thanks Richard.” She smiles, feeling heat rise to her cheeks from her sudden action, reminding herself she didn’t really know this boy.

“Call me Rich,” he smiles down at the girl, as they walk back to their seats. She grins, nodding at the boy, “Well, thank you, Rich.” The pair sitting next to each other, chatting away, both engrossed in their conversation about his bowling skills to notice the way their friends were watching them.

Little to their knowledge, their friends had seen their whole interaction, where he was guiding the small girl, teaching her how to bowl. Their friends noted how easy the pair worked together, the dynamic seemed to come so naturally to them. Gina couldn’t help but nudge EJ and Kourtney, pointing to their best friends, knowing that they were thinking the same thing.

* * *

“Where are you rushing off to?” EJ asks, as he walks into his best friend’s apartment, watching him fly across the room. It was Thursday, and EJ knew that he didn’t have class or work today, so he came over to see if he wanted to do anything.

Richard’s head snaps up to the door as he’s searching around his apartment for a particular folder that had all the arrangements he’d been working on for class. After realizing it’s just EJ his attention is back on his backpack, rummaging through the bag finding the folder he nearly flipped the house over for. Richard scratches the back of his head, a little in embarrassment, a nervous tick he developed over the years, “Well, Nina, Gina’s friend, you remember her, right?”

EJ was shocked to say the least. He hadn’t known his best friend was even talking to Nina, Richard wasn’t one to share what was going on in his life. Typically, EJ finds things out because he’ll accidentally slip out a comment, just like he had then. It’s not that Rich wasn’t up to share information, he just didn’t deem it as important than his other friend’s, simply, not wanting to bother them with his own stuff.

“Of course, I remember her, what about her?” EJ asks, curiously.

“She’s coming over, actually. She’s a music major, and she’s in one of my classes. I’m showing her my arrangement for one of our assignments,” he says, rifling through the folder making sure everything was there.

After Richard showed Nina how to properly bowl, they started to talk, getting to know each other more. He learned that she was majoring in music, with a minor in education, hoping to be some kind of music teacher. He knows some of the teacher’s colleges she’s been looking at. He told her his dream job is to go into family law, but likes to take some music courses in the little electives that he has. That night, they had exchanged numbers and hadn’t stopped texting each other since then.

The pair get interrupted by a knock on the door, Richard rushes over to pull it open, welcoming the girl in. “Okay, Richie, hear me out. If you could fly anywhere, you can just be invisible to the people you don’t want to see anymore. Therefore, flying is the superior superpower!” Nina shouts, kicking off her shoes as she follows him in to the apartment, continuing their conversation that they were having over text, in replacement of a greeting.

“But, you could totally pull the most hilarious pranks on people if you’re invisible and not get caught. Nins, come on, you know I’m right.” He counters, nudging the girls shoulder, the pair in a fit of laughter.

At the mention of the nicknames, EJ couldn’t help but question, when did the pair become so close that they were already on a nickname basis? He would have to ask Gina if her friend has talked about his best friend around her. Because Richard sure as hell hasn’t mentioned anything to him.

Nina spots EJ watching the pair from his spot on the couch, not expecting anyone else to be there. “Hi EJ, how’ve you been?” she smiles politely, waving at the boy.

“Good, good. I was just leaving, but you two have fun.” EJ smiles at the pair knowingly making a mental note to talk to Gina about it later, patting Richard on the shoulder on his way out.

Nina walks around admiring the space, she couldn’t help herself but touch the blanket that laid neatly on the back of the armchair. “You have a nice place, beats my small dorm any day.” she laughs, eyes wandering around the room, taking every detail in.

“You’re welcome here anytime,” he says, walking to the kitchen, with her following close behind. Nina surprised by his gesture, seeing that they’ve only just started getting to know each other. She watches as he grabs two bottles of water handing one of them to her. Accepting it with a smile, “So, are you going to show me that arrangement of yours, or what?” she laughs.

Richard nods, gesturing back to the living room, where he had left his folder. Taking a seat on the couch, as he cradles his guitar in his lap. He starts playing a few chords as she sits in the arm chair across from him, listening to the music carefully. Unconsciously, he starts to sing softly, some of the words he had started to put together earlier that week.

“It’s beautiful Rich,” Nina compliments, as he plays the last chord, “And your voice, it’s quite impressive.” She grins at the boy in front of her. He couldn’t help but chuckle in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck, “Thanks, I don’t really sing in front of people anymore,” he admits shyly to his new friend.

She couldn’t help but frown, “Why not? I think your voice is beautiful, it should be heard,” she says, in attempt to encourage him to not be shy about his voice. She’s heard her fair share of remarkable voices, through some of her fellow classmates, to friends and even at her summer camp, but his carried a different weight she thought. Like, there was something he wants to say, but not letting it come through just yet.

Richard simply shrugs, at her comment, “I don’t know. It’s not that I’m embarrassed by my voice or anything,” he says, “It’s just I haven’t sung in front of people since before high school. Maybe EJ and Carlos have heard it, but only because they’d show up to my place when I’m still in the shower,” he confesses, chuckling lowly at his friends.

“Why did you stop?” she asks, “You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to,” she quickly adds, waving her hands in front of her for emphasis. She didn’t want to pressure the boy into anything he didn’t want to do, especially since they’ve only known each other for a week or so.

He shakes his head, “No, it’s okay,” he reassures her, as he sets his guitar back in the case, “There was this girl, before high school. We would always sing together, and it felt like my voice kind of belonged with hers, I don’t know, it sounds kind of stupid, now that I’m thinking about it.” he admits, looking away from Nina, toying with the ring on his finger. He hadn’t told anyone why he doesn’t sing in front of people, not even EJ, and now he was telling this person he barely knew. Richard doesn’t know what it was about her, but he just couldn’t help himself, he feels so comfortable with her, like they’ve known each other forever.

She moves to sit beside him, putting an arm around his waist, she hooks her head on his shoulder, “It’s not stupid, Richard. Never think that.” She tells him, hugging him closer to her body, “If we’re being honest here, I thought that once too, years ago. But I realized one day, that boy might never come back, so I let people hear me, for me. He’s kind of the reason I wanted to pursue music, makes me feel closer to him I guess.”

He takes her other hand, squeezing it in his own, “Thanks Nina, and I’m sorry. He’s stupid for not coming back for you.” He smiles down at their hands. She knocks their heads together, pulling back a little, “Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault.” She smiles up at him.

Returning her smile, wanting the conversation to move away from the past, not wanting to be pulled back to what could have been. So, he proposes to the brunette next to him, “Do you want to watch a movie? I have ice cream in the freezer.”

She nods excitedly, “Can I pick the movie?” She asks, doe eyed. He couldn’t help but laugh, knowing that she was probably thinking the same thing as him. He nods, setting up Netflix and passes her the controller to browse through the selection, as he gets up to get the ice cream, and other snacks laying in his pantry.

* * *

Nina was sitting at her desk in her dorm, focused on trying to finish her paper that’s due in a few days that she’s been putting off. She was nearly half way done her paper when a harsh knock echoed through her room. She sighs, getting up to see who was at the door, not expecting anyone.

She opens the door to see Gina who rushes pass her, into her room, “Oh, hi Gina, yes please, come in,” she says sarcastically, rolling her eyes at her friend’s action. She closes the door, turning to Gina who was standing in the middle of the room, looking like she wanted to say something.

Nina was confused, “Is there something you need? Or am I supposed to read your mind?” she asks, taking a seat back at her desk, facing her friend.

At the question, Gina’s eyes instantly shift all around the room, “Well,” she starts, a smile starting to grow on her face, causing Nina’s concern to grow, not sure where her friend was going with this, “EJ asked me to be his girlfriend!” Gina says excitedly.

Nina’s jaw drops, full of shock and excitement for her best friend, “Gina! Oh my god!” She says, standing up to pull her friend in for a hug, who’s smile kept growing. Nina pulls back briefly, “You said yes, right?” she jokes.

“Of course!” She says pushing at Nina’s head.

“That is so worth stopping my paper for,” Nina says, “But what are you doing with me? Shouldn’t you be with him?” she questions.

Gina shakes her head, “We were just on a date, and I asked him to drop me here instead of my place.” Nina couldn’t help but laugh, of course that’s where Gina’s brain went.

“G, I’m so happy for you.” She smiles brightly at her friend, following her to her bed, “And I’m excited to get to know EJ more, especially since he makes you so happy.” Both girls giggled in excitement, not able to keep it to themselves. “But just so you know, I’m going to bring out mean-nina, so he knows if he fucks up, he has me to deal with.” She huffs.

The two girls both remembering when mean-nina came around for the first time last year. Gina had met some guy at a party, and they started seeing each other for a few weeks. And he lied saying he had to stay home working on a paper, when in fact the two girls saw him sitting at the park, locking lips with some other girl. The scene made Nina the angriest she’s ever been, so she graciously walked up to the pair and yelled at him for treating her best friend in such a way, a slap or two were added amongst the mix. That day forward, Gina had coined mean-nina, only coming out in the direst of situations.

Gina nods at her friend’s demand, understanding that she was just looking out for her. “I love you, Nina.” She pulls the girl in for tight hug, appreciating everything that’s she’s done for her. The pair only met at the beginning of their first year, at University of Chicago, and instantly became the best of friends, willing to do anything for each other.

“I love you too,” Nina says smiling as she pulls away, “Now, can you tell me all about how he asked you?” She asks excitedly, slipping off her bed to grab some snacks from her desk. As Gina recounts the events of her day, leading up to when EJ had officially asked her to be his girlfriend, Nina’s brain couldn’t help but wander to what Gina dating meant for them.

It wasn’t like Gina solely focused her attention on EJ, in complete honesty it was quite the opposite. The times EJ would come around when Nina and Gina were together, she’s pretty sure he felt like the third wheel more times than her. But, with EJ and Gina being officially together, Nina couldn’t help but think that means there would be more combined friend gatherings, growing their group a little more. Nina couldn’t be more excited, for more reasons than she’s willing to admit.

* * *

Richard walks into EJ and Carlos’s apartment, and what he is presented with isn’t what he was expecting at all. Nina was standing on a chair, pointing a finger at his best friend, with Gina and Carlos giggling from their spot on the couch.

EJ looked over hearing Richard walk in, “Elijah! Eyes back here!” Nina shouts.

He eyes the pair, confused, he wonders if Nina knew that his name didn’t stand for Elijah, but didn’t want to question her as she’s lecturing his best friend. Richard watches the pair carefully, as he sees EJ physically gulp his nerves down his throat. He couldn’t help but find this hilarious, his best friend standing tall at 6 feet, looked so small and scared of the girl who is usually a bouncing ball of happiness.

“Nins, what’s going on?” Richard asks cautiously, still not understanding what he walked into. Her head snaps around to see the boy walking towards them cautiously, she smiles brightly at her friend assuring him everything’s fine.

“Richie, welcome, if you could just take a seat. I’m just finishing up here.” She says, gesturing towards the living room. He ignores EJ’s pleading eyes, as he plops himself down on the loveseat, where he usually sits when he’s over. Richard gestures for Nina to continue from where she left off.

Nina huffs, her demeanor instantly changing, eyes glaring back at EJ, “So, Elijah Caswell. Was I clear?” she asks sternly, she watches as he nods rapidly, “Okay, if you’re so sure, please summarize.” She demands, looking down at the boy in front of her, crossing her arms across her chest.

“Uh, I am to never hurt Gina, and always be honest with her, even if it’s something that she may not like. Treat her like she’s a priority because she is, but also not like she’s my property, she’s her own person. And most importantly, never ever, cheat on her.” He repeats, gulping hoping he recalled enough from his girlfriend’s best friend’s speech.

“And if you do anything to break her heart, you’ll have me to answer to,” Nina says firmly. On the inside, she was loving how nervous he was, because Nina knew, if EJ really cared for her, he would do anything for Gina, even having to deal with mean-nina. In reality, this was more of a test for Nina, seeing if EJ can handle the pressure, and willing to do whatever it takes to be in her good graces.

Knowing EJ had to stand his ground, he looks up, not breaking eye contact with the girl in front of him, “Yes, ma’am, I understand,” EJ says quickly, his voice filled with nerves.

Nina doesn’t lower her glare for a minute, ensuring he understood that she was serious. She watches him carefully, never breaking eye contact with her. She secretly applauds him, not many people can hold her stare when she’s putting up this front, usually shying away. After the moment passes, she lets her arms drop down to her sides, smiling brightly at the boy in front of her.

“Now, that’s done. Who’s ready for dinner?” she asks in her usual happy tone, hopping off the chair, like nothing had just happened, plopping down next to Richard, pulling her phone out scrolling through her Instagram. The boy eyes her confused, having walked in a little too late, getting a little bit of the gist of what she was doing.

Clearing his throat, bringing everyone’s attention back to him, “What did I miss?” he questions curiously. His gaze looking to his best friend who was now sitting in the chair Nina was just standing on.

“I’m just making sure your best friend doesn’t break my best friend’s heart,” Nina points between them, setting her phone back down in her lap.

“No, I got that,” Richard grins, looking back at Nina, “why were you standing on a chair?” He asks, still amused by the scene that he had walked in on.

His question brings Gina and Carlos into another fit of giggles, “Nina got upset that EJ’s significantly taller than her, she didn’t think she was intimidating enough, so she grabbed a chair so she could tower over him,” Carlos manages to explain through his laughter. “God Nina, I love you.” Carlos says, praising the girl.

“I love you too, boo!” Nina exclaims, blowing kisses.

Gina was carefully watching her boyfriend sitting quietly, she walks over to him sitting in his lap, “Aw, babe, did Nina scare you into not talking,” she teases, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. He huffs, bringing his hand up pinching his index and thumb together, “Maybe just a little,” he laughs, finally relaxing after Nina’s speech, bringing the rest of their friends to laugh.

“Good,” Nina says, “but seriously, I’m happy for you guys,” she says, smiling at the pair. “I was serious though, can we go get dinner, I haven’t eaten since noon,” Nina asks the group. They all nod in agreement, heading to the door arguing over where they should go.

* * *

Once Gina and EJ officially started dating, they couldn’t help but blend their two friend groups together, wanting to hang out with each other, but also with their friends. So, the pair figured, they could kill two birds with one stone this way. After their first meeting at the bowling alley, all their friends had got along well, and were excited to start hanging out with their new friends some more.

What they didn’t expect was for Nina and Richard to become the best of friends. Normally, showing up at their group hang outs together, talking and teasing each other for a most of the time. At times, when Gina or EJ would call their best friend up to do something, they were usually together.

As the weather started to get colder in Chicago it got extremely cold once the first week of November hit. They were at Richard’s apartment, deciding to celebrate their Friendsgiving earlier than actual thanksgiving, seeing as some of their friends were going to be heading home for the short break. Gina was watching her best friend closely, who was helping Richard in the kitchen, preparing the last bits of food for their dinner. From her spot on the couch, leaning into her boyfriend, she sees Nina hit Richard with a towel as he said something that Gina couldn’t quite hear, obvious that the pair were teasing one another.

“Babe,” Gina nudges EJ, gaining the boy’s attention turning away from the TV looking down at her. He hums in response, waiting for her to continue. “Tell me, what’s Rich like? I mean, I kind of know him, but not like you do.” She asks her boyfriend, hoping to gain a little intel, seeing if Richard was the type of guy Nina would be interested in.

He shoots her a confused look, but complies anyway, “Well, you know he’s studying law, but not a lot of people know that he’s actually minoring in music as well. Probably why him and Nina get on so well,” he starts. Gina raises her eyebrows at her boyfriend, she didn’t expect Richard to be the musical type.

“He’s a good guy Gina, he wouldn’t be my best friend if he weren’t.” EJ claims, looking back to his best friend who was laughing with Nina in the kitchen as he continuously poked her side, tickling the small girl. He hasn’t seen Richard like that around a girl in a long time. He was surprised that they got along so well, and how fast it happened. When Nina showed up that one day at his apartment weeks ago, they had only known each other for a week, but they talked like they’ve known each other for years. That’s when EJ knew there was something special between the two friends.

Gina shrugs at his comment, “I know he’s a good guy, I don’t know, I just haven’t seen Nina act like this around anyone before.”

Not being able to help himself, he presses a kiss to his girlfriend’s cheek, “Rich hasn’t either, I think they bring out the best in each other,” he smiles, looking back at the pair who was starting to set the food out on the table. He stands up, putting a hand out for Gina to grab, which she accepts. “We should probably help them set the table, before everyone gets here.” EJ says, pulling his girlfriend towards their two best friends.

* * *

“Nina! You should sing something!” Kourtney shouts from her spot at the table.

Nina smiles at her friend, as she’s grabbing the empty plates from the table, helping Richard clean up their dinner. “I don’t know Kourt,” she shrugs a little embarrassed. Nina loves to sing and perform, she’s just never done it in front of their big group of friends before. Only Kourtney, Gina and Richard have heard her sing, amongst their friends that were sitting around the table.

She feels an arm drop around her shoulder, “Yeah, come on Nins, everyone would love to hear you sing,” he teases her, stealing the plates she was holding from her hands, as he goes to collect the remaining ones that she hadn’t had the chance to grab.

An idea pops into the small girl’s head, “Fine,” she agrees, placing a hand on her hip, “but, only if you sing with me.” She wagers with the boy next to her, eyeing him up and down. As he heard her proposition fall from her mouth, he topples a few plates over on the table, shocked at her suggestion. Instantly shaking his head, picking up the plates he had let fall. He tries his best to ignore the chatter around the table, his friends intrigued on them singing together, since almost all of them haven’t heard either of their voices.

“Rich,” she says, as she helps him with a few of the plates, “You have a beautiful voice, please.” She begs, knocking her shoulder into his.

“Wait,” EJ interrupts, “You’ve heard him sing?” he asks, confused. EJ hadn’t known that Richard sings outside of his shower, at least he was hoping she wasn’t listening to him sing in the shower.

She nods in response, “We sing together sometimes,” she says, offhandedly, not seeing the way Carlos and EJ had snapped their heads towards Richard at her comment, silently questioning their best friend. They look back at one another, knowing exactly what the other was thinking. Carlos whispers to his roommate, “There’s no fucking way,” EJ nods in response, the pair extremely confused.

Turning back to the boy in question, “Please, Richie.” She begs once more, following him into the kitchen with the remainder of the plates, setting them down on the counter next to the sink.

He turns on the sink, running the water over the dirty dishes, as he grabs the sponge to start cleaning. She grabs the towel that was sitting on the island, silently drying off the plates he hands her. They both don’t say a word, letting the noise of the running water and their friends’ conversations fill their ears.

“Nins, I haven’t sung in front of people, in a really long time.” He tells her after handing her the last plate, which she takes drying it off just like she had with all the other ones. “Please, for me,” she pleads pouting up at her curly-haired friend, setting the dry plate down on the stack, giving the boy her best puppy dog eyes, no one can ever say no to them.

She watches him carefully, she can see his brain running, considering her suggestion. He pinches the bridge of his nose, screwing his eyes shut. Nina instantly knew she had him, not able to fight the smile from growing on her face. He takes one last breath, looking back to the girl in front of him, who had a hopeful and triumphant look in her eyes. “Fine,” he says, “but one song.” He insists, pointing his index finger at her. Nina couldn’t help but squeal, jumping up and down, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling Richard in for a tight hug.

He wraps his arms around his giggling friend, as he’s pulling away, she throws the dish towel at him to distract him. He swiftly catches the towel, slightly confused, he suddenly realized she was making a beeline towards his bedroom. “Nins!” he calls trying to chase after, he knew what she wanted, and that was for him to also play his guitar for their friends. She comes back hugging the guitar to her chest, smiling cheekily at Richard before he could even make it down the hall.

“Whoa, since when do you play guitar?” he hears Seb ask from his spot next to Carlos.

Richard rubs the back of his neck a little shy, he smiles sheepishly at their friends. Nina hands him the guitar, pulling at his hand towards the couch, where they always sit when they play music together. He sighs, plopping down next to his friend, “I’ve been playing since I was like seven or eight, I think,” answering Seb’s question, “Not many people know, just EJ, Carlos and Nina – obviously.” He says, glaring at the smiling brunette next to him.

Their friends gather around, some sitting on the floor, others on the opposite couch. He looks around at all his friends, who were watching the pair carefully. He feels Nina place a hand on his knee, squeezing it, reassuring him it’ll be fine. He smiles at her, silently asking her what song they should sing.

“I think you know what I want to sing," she snickers, knocking her knee into his.

He smiles, knowing what she was talking about without her needing to say the name of the song. He remembers the day they had first sang the song together. It had become a ritual to sing together every so often, over the last few weeks as they grew closer together. Richard would either play his guitar, or if they were in Nina's dorm, she'd play her keyboard. One afternoon, he knocked on her door he knew she was expecting him, but when he knocked, she hadn’t gotten up to answer the door. Testing his luck, he turned the knob, faced with the small girl in front of her keyboard. Her fingers danced across the keys, so focused on the music, she hadn’t realized that he had walked in. Deciding to scare her, he hopped in on the chorus of _If I Ain’t Got You_ , causing the brunette to nearly jump out of her seat. He couldn’t help but smile at the beautiful girl in front of him, the way she was focused solely on the music playing through the air, made him realize how much he admired his friend.

He starts strumming out the chords to the very familiar song. As she opens her mouth to sing, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The pair enraptured in the song, looking at one another, big smiles on both of their faces as they sung their hearts out, like they were the only two in the room. They had forgotten they were singing in front of their friends until a round of applause came as he was strumming the last few chords.

Looking over to their friends, they were all clapping and cheering the pair on, showering them in compliments. “Rich! Who knew you had pipes like that!” Ashlyn compliments, causing him to duck his head, whispering a small thank you to his friend.

“You’re probably not going to hear it again,” he admits, looking up at his friends. He feels Nina’s knee knocking into his, and he instantly knew what she was trying to communicate. “Fine, it’ll be incredibly rare for you to hear me again. Happy?” he says, eyes moving to the girl next to him.

A sly smile graced on her face, “Almost,” Nina giggles.

* * *

“Nins, what did I say about being on time?” Richard scolds, as he sees her running up to him, bundled up in her pink fuzzy jacket. They were going skating that afternoon, after both Gina and EJ had declined their offers to hang out. She sighs, “I know Rich, I’m working on it!” she says exasperated.

Richard eyes the girl, “Let’s make a deal,” she looks up at the tall boy, unsure where he was going with this. She knew Richard liked to be early to things, he’s the type to think being on time is being late, but he would never admit that to anyone. “Every time you’re late, to hang out with me, or with our friends, whatever, you buy me dinner.”

Nina’s jaw dropped, “Excuse me? I’m not always late! No deal!” Rejecting the deal, because she knew he was completely right. She’s late to nearly everything, from meeting their friends, him, even going to class sometimes, but, she wasn’t going to let him have the satisfactory of knowing that. He would just rub it in her face every time she’d lose the bet.

Shaking his head, he knew exactly what she was thinking, the pair easily reading one another. Instead of arguing with her, he decides to test her, “Okay, if you’re not always late, then you shouldn’t have a problem with it.” He smirks at his rosy-cheeked friend, who was still adjusting to the cold.

“But, what if I’m on time? What do I get out of it?” she questions, thinking it wasn’t fair that there was only a consequence if she was late. If she was on time, she wanted to be graced with a reward.

Richard huffs, she could see the air escape his lips from the cloud of his hot breath against the biting cold, “For two months, starting after the holiday break, if you’re late you buy me dinner. But if you’re on time, I’ll buy you dinner.” He offers.

Considering the offer, “Why only for two months?” she questions, a little confused on the time constraint.

He laughs to himself, as he drags her over to the ice rink, “Well, if you start being on time, I don’t want to buy you dinner for the rest of my life,” he chuckles, “so, two months it is. Do we have a deal?” he looks at her, sticking his hand out waiting for her to shake it.

“Deal.”

* * *

Nina was back in Chicago after spending a couple weeks back in Utah for the holidays. She had missed her friends though, the minute she landed, she texted Gina and Kourtney, curious to see what they were up to today, hoping she’d be able to see the two girls before school started up in a few days. The two girls, had responded letting her know, everyone’s meeting up at their favourite diner in town, later that night. Nina responded quickly, letting them know that she’ll be there, and on time.

At some point, before they left for their break, Gina had created a group chat for their newly established combined friend group, so they could keep in touch during the holidays. Letting each other know what’s been going on, seeing as most of them were from different states. But Nina was the furthest from all of them.

Gina grew up in Ohio, which was only two states over from the Windy City. And Kourtney was in Wisconsin, only an hour away. Seb and Big Red was from Michigan. And the rest of their friends were born and raised in Chicago. Nina couldn’t help but feel a little sad that everyone was close enough to each other, that they were only a few hours from one another, where she was basically a 20-hour drive from everyone else.

She texted them during the break, especially Gina, Kourtney and Richard. She Facetimed Richard a lot while she was away. She couldn’t help but miss her friends, and their stupidity. She was beginning to feel a little bit of FOMO, hearing some stories from Richard, on his adventures with EJ and Carlos. Richard made it a point to call her each night, he knew that she was beginning to feel a little left out, so he tried his best to include her as much as possible. They were inseparable, even when they were states apart.

Deciding to sit and write some music before she had to start getting ready to meet up with her friends, she let her emotions take over. She was well into her song, when she had realized the time. She groans, knowing that she’s going to be late to dinner, and that she’s going to have to pay for Richard’s that night. She starts getting ready, taking her time, already admitting defeat to herself.

An hour later, she arrives at the diner, immediately finding her friends closer to the back where they normally sat. She runs up to everyone hugging each of them, telling them how much she’s missed every single of them, insisting for them to tell her about their holiday’s. As she gets to Richard, she couldn’t help but groan as she hugs him, “Tonight I may have lost, but next time, I promise.” She says, pulling away from the boy.

He nods, “Okay, Nins, keep telling yourself that. Two more months to go.” He chuckles, pulling the chair next to him out for her to sit. “I missed you,” he whispers, leaning a little closer so only she heard.

Smiling at the boy next to her, she leans over tentatively pressing a kiss to his cheek, “I missed you too.” She says, settling back in her seat, opening up the all too familiar menu, trying to stop the blush from taking over her cheeks.

Their friends had seen the interaction between the pair, but decided not to say anything. The group discussed their holidays, and what it was like being home after so many months away, for most of them. Some of them discussing their classes for the upcoming semester, which one’s they were most excited for and the one’s they were dreading, but had to take to finish their degree. Nina realizing her and Richard have another class together, exciting the two friends.

As the waiter was coming around at the end of their meal, asking everyone if they needed separate checks, Nina asked for hers and Richard’s, causing the groups eyes to look at the pair. Once the waiter leaves, Nina looks back at everyone, confused as to why they were giving her weird looks.

“What?”

“Why are you paying for Rich’s dinner?” Big Red asks.

Nina shrugs nonchalantly, taking her wallet out of her purse, “I was late today. We have a deal, when I’m late I pay, and when I’m on time, he pays.”

The girls couldn’t help but burst out into laughter, “Nina, you’re going to be so broke,” Gina says, causing the rest of the group to erupt in laughter.

Nina sarcastically laughs along, “Just watch you guys, I’ll be running Richard out of his money before he knows it.” she smiles cheekily at the boy next to her, stealing a fry from his plate.

* * *

The first three weeks were hard for Nina when it came to her deal with Richard. She found that she lost track of time a lot, considering she was settling herself back into the school life, after a few weeks off. Figuring out the perfect balance between her classes, work, and finding time with her friends.

To ensure that she wasn’t late to meet with Richard today, she set an alarm for herself, to start getting ready, and another one five minutes before she had to leave. She realized how effective this plan was, she was able to leave right on time to meet Richard at his apartment, five minutes before she was even supposed to be there.

Knocking on the familiar door, she waits a moment, until it swings open. She sees Richard with a shocked look on his face, “What?” she pokes, “Did you think I was going to be late today?” she giggles, walking past him into his apartment.

“Damn, Nina. Looks like my plan is actually working.” He chuckles, plopping down on the couch, next to her. He turns to look at her, “So, pizza and a movie?” he questions.

She giggles, “Only if you’re paying!” she exclaims.

“Yeah, yeah, just pick a movie,” he says getting up from the couch to grab his phone that he had left in his bedroom.

Nina had been over more than enough times to know how to work his TV. As Nina was scrolling through Netflix, wondering which movie they should watch, her mind begins to wander. She looks down at the controller in her hands, when did she become so comfortable and close with Richard Bowen? She knows the layout of his apartment like the back of her hand, she knew where everything is, from the controller, to the plates, to his phone charger, even to where he hides his favourite snacks from EJ. She wonders when this place started to feel more like a home than her own dorm room. More often than not, she’d be here, doing homework, having dinner, watching TV.

She recalls the first few times EJ would stop by, sometimes with Carlos or Gina on his tail, and she would just be sitting at the kitchen table or on the floor in the living room, doing work. Sometimes, Richard was there doing work alongside her, or he was napping on the couch. EJ would give her an odd look, when she was sitting there by herself, listening to music as she’s hunkering down on a paper due in a few hours. She would have to explain to EJ that Richard was at work, but he was more than welcome to stay.

Coming to a realization, that Richard has slowly become the person she always wants to talk to. He’s the first person she seeks out, whether it be good news, or when she was having a crappy day. He became her best friend instantly, she wasn’t sure what it was about him, but she felt so drawn to him. Like in another life, they were connected somehow. Of course, she’d never admit this to him, because of how ridiculous it sounded.

As Richard, waltzes back into the living room, settling himself next to her staring down at his phone as he scrolls through his Twitter. Nina watches him carefully, her eyes travelling from his messy hair, loving the way one of his curls falls, to his features from his eyes, to his nose, and finally his lips. Her breath hitches, as she comes to a realization.

She always knew he was cute, but, as she got to know him more, and hung out with him she realized what a great guy he was. How he’s so kind-hearted and selfless, always putting his friends needs before his own, which she saw more times than she could count. She loved how he never judged her, even when she would say the stupidest of things. Finally, Nina came to the conclusion that she was starting to fall for the curly-haired boy. Not wanting to let that ruin whatever she had with him, she pushes the thought out of her mind, pushing it far away for as long as she possibly could.

Looking away from his phone and up at the girl next to him, he places a hand on her back, “Nins, you good?” he asks concernedly. All she could do was nod, eyes travelling back to the screen.

Richard’s eyes never leave her face, he knows something’s bothering her. She had her thinking face on, he was accustomed to it, from the number of times he’s seen her doing work, or thinking about something that was bothering her. She would scrunch her eyebrows, her eyes squinting, and purse her lips ever so slightly. He wasn’t sure how he’d come to realize it was her thinking face, but he figures it was like all the other times he noticed the small things about her. They’ve hung out so much in last few months, that he started to notice the littlest of details about the girl; like how she bites her nails when she’s stressed, or pulls her hair in a ponytail, just to let it go seconds later when she doesn’t know what to do with her hands. So, seeing her thinking face, he couldn’t help himself to ask if she was okay. He didn’t want to push, so he resulted in rubbing small circles on the girl’s back.

Turning her head to look at him, “How do you feel about Just Go with It?” she asks, pulling him out of his train of thought.

He looks at her questioningly, “That movie with Adam Sandler?” He’s never seen the movie, but seen the thumbnail enough times on Netflix to be familiar with it. She nods her head, “I love rom-coms, and I love Adam Sandler.” She admits, “Plus, it’s my favourite movie.”

“I don’t know what to be more surprised about. The rom-coms or Adam Sandler.” He chuckles.

Shaking her head at the boy, “If you can’t appreciate a good Adam Sandler rom-com, I don’t think this is going to work,” crossing her arms over her chest.

“Hey, wait! I never said I didn’t want too,” he exclaims pulling the girl into his chest, “Of course, I want to watch your favourite movie.” Not being able to help herself, she burst out into laughter, insisting for him to let her go, as she plays the movie.

Nina sighs, feeling the butterflies overwhelming her. She wasn’t sure how she’s going to stop falling for this boy, if he didn’t know how to keep his hands to himself.

* * *

“Happy Birthday Nina!” Richard yells from his spot leaning against his car, a hand holding onto the bouquet of sunflowers he had bought her. He was picking her up for her birthday dinner that their friends had organized.

She smiles at the boy, as he sticks his hand out presenting her with the bouquet. Accepting the bundle of flowers, “Thank you, you didn’t have to get me anything!” she chides, pulling the boy in for a hug.

“Don’t be ridiculous Nina, it’s your birthday you deserve more than just flowers.” He says, as he presses a kiss to her cheek. “So, I’m paying for dinner tonight.” He tells her.

She pulls back from the hug, smacking him on his arm, “Don’t be stupid, I’m paying.”

He shakes his head, “No, I am, there’s no arguing with me on this,” he tells her, opening up the car door for her. She climbs in to the passenger seat, buckling up, turning to watch Richard start the car up, setting it into drive. “So, how does it feel to be 20, you oldie,” he asks, winking at her.

Her laughter fills the car, “You know, you’re older than me. So, if anyone is an oldie here, it’s you, doofus,” she giggles, sticking her tongue out at the boy next to her. “By 2 months! And, just because it’s your birthday, doesn’t give you the right to be rude missy,” he chuckles at her antics.

Nina couldn’t keep herself from laughing, she brings the bouquet of flowers up to her face, hiding her face in them. “Hey,” Richard says seriously, putting a hand on the flowers, bringing them back down to her lap, “Don’t hide your pretty face.” He flirts with the birthday girl, causing her face to burn even more than it was before. The pair not realizing how much they affected the other, even with the smallest of comments and smiles.

* * *

The boys were over at Richard’s apartment, Big Red and EJ were engrossed in a video game, as Carlos and Seb were going over an assignment for one of their classes. Richard was laying on the couch, watching the screen as Big Red kills EJ’s character for the fifth time.

“Red!” EJ yells out to his friend, shoving his shoulder in anger.

Red couldn’t help but smile mischievously at the boy next to him, “Don’t be such a sore loser, Elijah,” he teases.

“That’s not my name!” EJ whines. The rest of the boys chuckling at their friend’s behaviour. Carlos closed his laptop, “Red, put me in, let’s show EJ how it’s done.” He smirks at his friend on the floor.

As he was told, Big Red signs in another controller, tossing it to the boy on the couch. He catches it swiftly, leaning forward, getting ready to win. All the boys knew how terrible EJ is at video games, but he loved playing them. No matter how hard EJ tried, he would as be in last place, or the most killed, in any game they played, he’d always lose. Everyone loves watching EJ lose every single time, finding it hilarious especially when he acts shocked that he lost again, like it’s a surprise each time.

Seb’s attention turns to Richard, “Have you started studying for your LSATs?” He asks curiously. Richard shaking his head, letting his friend know that he’s been looking for the best prep books he could find, and probably start studying that summer so he could take it closer to the end of next year. As the pair chatted, while watching their friends yell and scream at one another, laughing every time EJ would get shot and he would whine, Richard’s phone started ringing.

Picking his phone up, he sees Nina’s photo and name flash across the screen, instantly picking it up, “Hey Nins,” he says, slouching back into the couch. But what he heard from the other line isn’t what he was expecting. He could hear her small sniffles, barely managing a greeting back. “Nins?” he asks concerned, he knew she was trying to control her tears, trying to regain composure. He gets up not wanting the boys to hear his conversation, wanting to respect her privacy. He heads to the kitchen, pulling himself onto the island.

“Hi,” she responds timidly, “I know the boys are over, but I was wondering if I could come by? I’m having a really bad day, and I don’t want to be alone right now.” She says sniffling every so often.

“Of course you can. But Nina, are you okay?” He asks, voice full of concern. “No, not really. I kind of just want to curl up in bed and cry.” She hesitates, he can hear her voice shaking through the phone.

“Do you need me to come pick you up?” he asks.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll be there in 10.” Before hanging up the phone, she whispers a small thank you to the boy. Richard sighs, as he hears the line get cut. He stares down at her contact, wondering what could possibly have happened that she was crying. He wonders why she didn’t call any of the girls, and why he was the first person she thought to call.

A few minutes passed by, and he finally hears the small knock on his front door. He quickly jumps off the counter, briskly walking to the door, swinging it open to find the small girl behind it. His eyes travel down her body, she was in a red dress, hair slightly curled at the ends, but what really caught his attention were the tear tracks on her cheeks, with red puffy eyes, makeup running a little from crying.

“Oh, come here,” he says, enveloping her in his arms, hugging her tightly to his chest. He knows she’s trying to keep it all in, not wanting to bring any more attention to her from their friends in the living room. As he pulls away, he holds her face in his hands gently, “Let’s get you settled in my room, you don’t have to see the boys if you don’t want to, okay?” he tells her, trying to soothe his friend.

Nodding her head slightly, he pulls her head forward a little, kissing her on her forehead, before guiding her down the hall to his bedroom. He pulls out a hoodie for her, and a pair of leggings she forgot when she stayed over a few nights ago. He hands them to her, letting her know that he’s just outside if she needs anything, knowing she just wants company tonight, hoping the boys won’t stay too long.

She wraps her arms around him, hugging the boy tightly to her chest, letting her tears escape. He can feel her tears falling onto his neck, as she buries her head into him. “Nina, baby,” he whispers, telling her it’s going to be okay, petting her hair, running his fingers through it. After a few minutes, she lets go, telling him to go back to their friends, assuring him she’ll be fine.

With a final nod and final kiss to her temple, he heads back into the living room, seeing his friends whispering to one another, the game paused on the screen. He knew exactly what they were whispering about, but decided not to say a word until they did. He settles back into his seat on the couch, staring down at the hall he had just walked from.

“Where’d Nina go?” Carlos asks cautiously not wanting to intrude, the group fully seeing Richard lead her down the hall towards his bedroom just a few minutes ago.

He shakes his head, “In my room, she’s had a long day I think she’s just going to try and nap or something.” he shrugs, not giving them any more information, not like there was any more for him to share. The boys decided not to push him any further, promising that they’ll try to keep their voices down for her. They continued on, like the girl hadn’t walked through the door just a few moments ago.

After an hour of EJ whining about being killed over and over again to his friends, and small conversation amongst the group, Nina emerges from down the hall. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun, her small body drowning in the hoodie he had lent her. He can see she washed off her makeup, her eyes a little red, instantly knowing she had been crying. Without a word, she sits next to Richard, he wraps an arm around the girl, bringing her closer to his body, as she sets her head on his shoulder she circles her arms around his waist.

“Hi baby, did you want something to eat?” Seb asks with a gentle voice, placing a careful hand on her knee, “Carlos and I made pasta for dinner, I can heat some up for you.” He offers the brunette.

She shakes her head, “It’s okay, I’m not hungry,” she tells her friend, shooting him a shy smile, reassuring her friends that she was okay.

“Where are the girls tonight?” Carlos asks, setting his controller down on the table, as the game ended. The boys’ attention falling to the brunette on the couch, next to their curly-hair best friend. Nina shrugs, “They're going around the town,” she answers, hugging Richard tighter to her body, he knew something was up with her but wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.

In his peripheral vision, he sees Big Red turn off the console, putting the controllers back where they are normally stored. Silently thanking his friends for reading her mood, without him having to say anything.

“How about we watch a movie?” he suggests, “We can pop some popcorn, I just restocked my snack stash that I hide from EJ,” he says mostly to her. When he hears a protest come from his best friend, he couldn’t help but chuckle, along with Nina’s giggle that she couldn’t hold in.

EJ throws a pillow at his friend, “What do you mean you hide them from me?” he asks offended. Richard glares at his friend, throwing the pillow back at his face, “You eat all my food,” he says accusatorily.

“Does Nina know where this secret stash is?” he asks.

“Of course, she does, I can’t let her starve,” Richard jokes. Nina couldn’t help but burst out in laughter when she saw the face that EJ had made.

Richard knew EJ was being overdramatic, in an attempt to brighten up Nina’s mood, even though no one was sure what happened. He pointed an accusing finger towards her, “You, Nina, are stealing my best friend and his snacks. I don’t know if I can let that happen.”

Giggling at the boy pointing at her, she tightens her arms around Richard, throwing one leg over both of his, “Sorry, Elijah, I don’t think I’m going to share him,” Nina smiles, feeling her mood get better with all the teasing, “Plus I think he likes me better,” she says, putting her chin on his shoulder, looking up at her curly-hair friend.

Richard shrugs, “She’s right,” everyone except EJ bursts into laughter. “So, how about that movie?” Richard offers once more.

“Actually, Seb and I should probably get going,” Big Red speaks up, standing up from his spot from the floor grabbing his keys and wallet off the table. Seb packs his bag, tucking his laptop and other notes into his bag, getting ready to head out with Big Red.

Carlos slaps his thighs lightly, standing up along with his boyfriend, “EJ and I should probably get going too,” he says.

“What? But it’s Friday night!” EJ argues.

Carlos fixes him with a glare, clenching his teeth slightly, “EJ, you have to be up early for something tomorrow, remember?” he says, eyes darting between his confused friend and the pair on the couch.

It took am minute for EJ to catch on to what Carlos was saying, “Ah yes, that thing for the, uh, thing.” He says not being subtle even in the slightest, following his roommate’s lead. Carlos couldn’t help but shake his head at his roommate, mumbling words of disappointment in Spanish under his breath.

Richard and Nina get up along with the rest of their friends, showing them out the door. Each of the boys gave the small girl a hug knowing she needed one after the day she had. Seb tells her to let him know if she needs anything. She nods shyly, promising that she’ll be fine.

After their friends leave, Nina retreats back to the couch, reclaiming her spot back. Richard goes into the kitchen, grabbing two glasses of water, handing her one of the glasses as he asks, “Do you want to tell me what’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

She holds the cold drink in her hand, taking a sip and setting it on the coffee table in front of her. She couldn’t help but look down at her fingers, playing with the sleeves of the hoodie she borrowed. “It’s a lot,” is all she says.

He sets his glass down next to hers, taking a hold of her hands, “It’s okay, we have time,” he assures her, squeezing her hands in his.

Without looking up at the boy, she starts venting about the day she had, first off with the bad mark she got on a paper that she worked her ass off for, following a horrible date with a horrible guy that one of her classmates had set her up on, she knew she didn’t want to go out with him but her friend kept on insisting, and most of all she was feeling extremely homesick. He lets her rant to him, not saying a word, knowing that she really needs to just talk and get it off her chest.

Richard can see she’s doing her best to keep her composure, not looking at him, eyes trained on their hands. But he can hear her talking in a softer tone, trying not to let her voice shake too much. Without much thought, he pulls on her hands, bringing her body into his and wrapping his arms around the small girl.

Rubbing circles into Nina’s back, he feels her begin to relax into him. Suddenly, he starts to hear her sniffle, pushing her face into his neck, hugging him tighter an attempt to not let the tears come out. “Nina, baby, just let it out, it’s okay.” he whispers into her ear, bringing one hand up rubbing his thumb at the base of her scalp. She finally lets out a sob that she’s been holding in, pulling the boy even closer to her body, she mumbles a chain of apologies.

“Don’t apologize Nins. It’s okay to cry, you had a rough day.” he says, “Do you want to go lie down?” he asks concerned for the crying girl in his arms. She nods into his neck, not uttering a single word. She reluctantly lets go of the boy, wiping her eyes, he picks up her water and leads her back down the hall towards his bedroom.

She crawls into his bed, pulling the sheets up her body. Richard sets down the glass on the bed side table. “Do you need anything else Nins?” he asks gently, rubbing his thumb on her shoulder, as he sits on the edge of his bed.

“Can you stay with me?” she asks hopeful, “I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

“Okay,” he agrees instantly, trying to calm his heart from racing, reminding himself that what she needs right now is a friend. He heads to the bathroom, changing out of his jeans and into sweatpants and a loose shirt. As he pulls himself into the other side of the bed, Nina curls into his side, hugging him closer to her.

“Thank you Rich.” She whispers to him.

He puts his hand on her back holding her close to him, “I didn’t do anything Nins,” he replies. She shakes her head, looking up at him, searching for his eyes in the dark, “You being here is enough.”

* * *

“Nina!” Gina yells as she swings the door open for her best friend, “You’re on time. And here earlier than Ashlyn. What has Rich done to my best friend?” Gina laughs.

Walking through the door, “Shut up,” Nina chuckles, kicking off her shoes in the process. The girls were having a sleepover in Gina’s apartment, not having seen each other in a while, since school has been filling up their schedules. And with Gina spending what little time she had with EJ, she rarely had time to hang out with just her girls. She would see Nina sometimes, usually when they would swing by Richard’s apartment, she was usually there doing anything or nothing.

“So, how’ve you two been? It feels like I haven’t hung out with you guys in ages,” Nina asks, plopping down on the couch next to Kourtney.

Kourtney and Gina giving each other a look, “I wonder why, you seem to be taking a liking to that curly-haired boy who’s always on your snapchat.” Kourtney jokes, nudging her friend with her shoulder.

Nina feels her face begin to burn, blushing with embarrassment. Kourtney was right, every moment Nina had spare time, she found herself seeking Richard out. Constantly spending time in his apartment, even when he wasn’t home, taking advantage of his comfortable couch. After his work or school, he would bring home dinner for both of them, knowing that she was going to be there, and sometimes Nina would cook making sure it was ready by the time he got back. Nina wonders when that became their norm, she was well aware of how domestic it sounded, but it seemed to be happening too fast, that she can’t keep up.

Brushing her friend’s comment off, acting like it didn’t mean anything, “We’re friends, that’s what friends do.” She shrugs. Gina hums in disbelief, not taking what Nina said seriously, knowing there is much more than what she’s letting on, but also didn’t want to push her to talk about something she’s not quite ready for.

A knock echoed through the room, Nina releasing a breath she didn’t know she was holding, as Gina goes to let Ashlyn in. “Hey, hey, hey, I’m ready to watch movies, eat and cry!” Ashlyn greets her friends as she walks through the door. The girls burst out into laughter at their friend, as she sets down the boxes of pizza that she had bought on the way over.

They spent the night watching movies, and catching up on each other’s lives. Gina started talking about how EJ was great, and was about to go more in detail until Ashlyn interrupted her friend, claiming that she did not want to know anything further about her cousin’s dating life. Ashlyn had admitted she went out on a date the previous week, but wasn’t ready to let them know who it was because they knew them.

With summer slowly approaching, they talked about their plans. Kourtney had plans to visit family somewhere in Oregon, which she didn’t look to elated about. Gina and Ashlyn were trying to score some kind of internships. They knew about Nina’s summer camp job, having talked about it on a number of occasions, the girls knew how special that place was to their friend.

They had stayed up until nearly 4AM catching up with one another, realizing how much they missed each other, and missed hanging out as just the girls. Nina was really going to miss her friends when she went back to Utah that summer, remembering how much she had missed them when she was only gone for 2 weeks during their winter break. They fell asleep with the promise to do this again before they all separated for the summer.

* * *

Nina’s notes and laptop were scattered across Richard’s apartment floor. With finals just around the corner, she was starting to feel the stress that came along with it. She was trying to work on two papers at a time, and figure out another musical arrangement.

Richard wasn’t home, she caught him just as he was leaving. He told her he picked up an extra shift at the store he works at, promising to pick up dinner on the way back, pressing a final kiss to her head as he tells her not to stress too much and to remember to take breaks.

Not listening to Richard’s advice, she felt the stress starting bubble up in her stomach, hating that she put so many things off to the last minute. Every semester this happened, she would wait until the last few weeks before starting her final assignments, thinking she has enough time. Never really accounting for the assignments that were also due around the same time. She was just about ready to pull her hair out, when a knock came from the door.

Pushing herself off the floor, confused as to who it could be. Richard wasn’t supposed to be home for another hour and he wouldn’t knock at his own door, or if it were EJ he would just waltz in, she walks over to the door swinging it open to reveal a girl just about her age.

“Hi, can I help you?” Nina asks curiously.

The blonde girl looks at her, then to the door, “Oh, I must have the wrong apartment, I’m looking for Richard,” she says, looking down at her phone rechecking the text she had.

“No, you have the right one. What did you need him for?” Nina asks, feeling her stomach start to bubble up some more from anxiousness. If Nina was being honest with herself, she would’ve admitted that she was jealous of this girl. She was beautiful, blonde hair, perfect skin, a few inches taller than her. She hasn’t seen Richard with a girl in the months that she’s known him, it could be possible he was getting back in the dating game.

“Oh, we’re partners for our final paper in one of our classes. We were going to go over it today, he said to drop by around this time,” she says, hoisting her bag up her shoulder.

Nina smiles, “Well, he’s not home right now. But you’re welcome to come in and wait.” She offers, opening the door a little wider to the let the girl in. “I’m Nina, by the way,” she introduces, realizing how weird it’d be if she was letting some girl in without knowing her name.

“Emily,” she smiles, following her in.

She leads her into the living room, “Please, don’t mind my mess, I’ve been kind of stressing out about finals,” she chuckles dryly, “So, are you taking law too?” Nina asks, trying to make polite conversation, taking a seat on the couch. Following her lead, she sits on the other couch, setting her bag down on the floor, “Oh god, no,” she laughs at Nina’s question, “I’m actually in education.”

Her jaw drops slightly, “No way! I’m minoring in education.” She tells her excitedly.

Emily looks at her confused, “I don’t think I’ve seen you in any of my classes before,” she points out. As the two girls talked, and got to know each other, realizing how much they have in common; both talking about why they want to teach, and what ages they were hoping for.

They didn’t realize how much time went by until they hear Richard’s voice echo through the room, “Nins! I’m home, I brought dinner as promised. Please tell me you’re not stressing over that pap-” Richard’s voice cuts short, as he realizes that they’re not alone.

“Emily, I’m so sorry, I forgot to text you that I picked up an extra shift at work,” he apologizes, taking a seat next to Nina.

The blonde waves her hand at him, “Don’t even worry about it, you girlfriend here was keeping me company, and it looked like she needed a break from her work anyways.” Nina blushes at her comment, she hadn’t realized that the girl in front of them thought she was dating Richard. He turns to Nina, putting a hand on her lower back, “How long were you working before you took a break?” he asks concerned, ignoring the comment from his classmate.

Ducking her head down, avoiding eye contact with him. She sticks out her hand, with four fingers up, signalling the number of hours she worked for. “Nins, we talked about this, you need to take a break in between.”

She nods shyly, “Okay, how about, you two get what you need to get done, I’ll do whatever I can in that time, and then I'll take break after.” She says standing up, going over to her books.

To her surprise, Emily speaks up, “No, you two have dinner, we can do work on it another day. Nina, you deserve the rest of the night off.” She says standing up, grabbing her bag off the floor. “It was nice meeting you!” she adds quickly, walking towards the door.

Richard walks his classmate to the door, “I’m sorry, again.” He says as he opens the door for her. She smiles at him, “Don’t be, I like her. And I know she’s not your girlfriend, but the way she reacted when I said that she was, it looks like she might want to be.”

He shoots the girl a look, not sure what she was hinting at, “Richard, I know she’s the girl you’re always talking about, I’m not easily fooled. Don’t be an idiot and just tell her,” and with that, she walks out with a final wave. His mind going a thousand miles a minute, he didn’t realize he was that obvious.

Walking back into the living room, seeing Nina lying on her stomach typing away at her laptop. He quickly runs over, lying down on top of her, shutting her laptop in the process, “Time for dinner.” He says, hugging her close to his body.

She groans, “Get off me, you’re heavy!” she says wiggling underneath him, trying to throw him off. He chuckles, “Nina Salazar-Roberts! Are you calling me fat?” he asks mocking offense.

“Yes! Now get off me you dick!” she retaliates.

Rolling off her, he props an elbow up resting his head in his hand, looking at the brunette in front of him, “Wow, two insults in one sentence, I’m hurt Nina.” He fakes offense, putting a hand to his chest.

She pushes his shoulder, causing him to fall over, “Shut up, before I tell EJ where you keep the good snacks.” She says getting up, walking towards the kitchen.

“Oh, don’t you dare!” he says, bolting towards the girl, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. She’s pretty sure their laughter can be heard through the thin walls of his apartment, hoping they weren't disturbing his neighbours.

* * *

EJ and Carlos’s apartment slowly became the place where their friends would all gather when they had their night in. Finding it the most spacious from their friends, giving everyone a little bit more room to breathe, considering there was so many of them.

On the couch, Gina’s legs were draped across her boyfriend’s lap, she was watching everyone celebrate, seeing that they had all just finished their finals. Most people were heading back home within the next few days, and they had decided to have one more night in with everybody, before not seeing them for the next few months.

“So, Rich, what are your plans for the summer?” Gina asks curiously, looking to the boy sitting next to her best friend.

He shrugs, “Probably studying for the LSATs, I’m hoping to hear back from this one job I applied for.” Looking down at the girl next to him, “What about you Banina?” he asks. She scrunches her nose at the nickname, “stop it.”

Recalling the first time he had used that nickname, she was eating a banana and he just kept repeating banana, going faster each time. At some point, his letters slurred together, and banina had just slipped out. She smacked his head every time he called her that for the first little while, he stopped using the nickname recently. But every so often, he found a way to slip it in.

“I’m working at the summer camp again,” she smiles, remembering the kids and her other counsellor friends. She wonders how many new faces were going to be there this year. She loved meeting new people, especially when working with such talented kids and counsellors.

Nina looks at her friends, scattered across the couches and the floor. Big Red insisting on choosing the music that was blasting from the speaker. Ashlyn was leaning over his shoulder, pointing things out as he scrolls through the list of songs. They had learned a few weeks ago, that Big Red was the one Ashlyn went on date with, and the pair haven’t looked happier. She watches as Kourtney playfully banters with Seb and Carlos over some TV show they watch. EJ giving in his input, as he rubs a thumb over Gina’s knee.

She feels Richard poke her cheek, “What are you thinking about?” Smiling up at her friend, “How I’m going to miss all of you this summer.” She responds.

He puts an arm around her shoulder, “We’ll miss you too, Banina,” he chuckles at the nickname.

As Big Red changes the song, Nina couldn’t help but get up to dance alongside Gina and Carlos. She couldn’t wait for the summer to be over, so she could spend another year with her best friends.

* * *

Richard had flown out to Salt Lake City, visiting his dad like he does every summer. The first week he was there, he had gotten a call from the summer camp that he used to go to when he was younger. He had applied for a counsellor position, hoping to make some extra cash during his time off. The caller had informed him that he got the job, and he accepted it instantly.

After ending the call, he couldn’t help but wonder how much has changed over the last few years that he’d been away. He hopes they had updated the beds, remembering how squeaky his bunk was when he was younger, always scared that he was going to fall right down on to his bunk mate below.

With the memories of camp flowing through his mind, his brain couldn’t help but picture the little girl that he was best friend’s with. He wonders what Nini grew up to be like, he hoped she was still pursuing music, he remembers how talented she was when they were younger, just imagine how much that talent had grown over the years.

That evening, he apologized to his dad that he’d be away all summer working. He knew summer was the time that they scheduled to spend together. His father assured him that it was okay, and he was glad he wasn’t wasting his days waiting for him to finish work so they could go out and do something.

The night before he had to leave for camp, he made sure to pack his things, checking every single box off his list, two times, then three, making sure he didn’t forget anything. He sighs, lying down on his bed, taking in his surroundings, another two months that he won’t see this again. And he let sleep take over, with the last thought of the summer program, and how much it means to him to be back.

* * *

One of the senior camp advisor's, Jennifer or Jen, was going through the list of counsellors and counsellors in training. Jen has been working at the camp for so many years, she first became a counsellor when she was 22. She hasn’t forgotten a single counsellor or camper ever since then. As she was re-checking the list, a name stood out to her, Richard Bowen, instantly recognizing the name, she knew she had to go find Nina.

After asking a few of the other counsellors where the girl was, they had pointed toward the registration booths. When she finally found her, she was standing with a clipboard in her hand, checking things off. “Nina,” she calls, getting the younger girl’s attention. Nina turns and smiles at the older woman, “remember that boy you grew up with here at camp?” Jen asks suddenly.

Nina was caught off guard by her question, confused as to why she would be asking her that. “Yeah, Ricky, of course I remember. I could never forget him.” she smiles sheepishly, the last bit slipping out. She looks away from the woman that she’s known since she was a young camper, toying with the clipboard in hand a little embarrassed at her slip up.

“Well, what if I told you that he’s counselling here this year?” Jen says excitedly.

Looking at the woman shocked, her eyes widen and jaw dropping slightly, “What?” Nina couldn’t help but smile that she was going to be able to reunite with the boy that she once knew so well. She felt her heart flutter, her stomach erupting in butterflies at just the thought of reuniting with him. After all these years, working at this camp, hoping every year that the boy would just show up out of the blue, it was finally happening. She had so many questions for him, she wonders what he’s like now. If he’s still the same happy kid that she was proud to call her best friend.

Jen nods to the younger girl, knowing the first few years after he disappeared were extremely hard on the girl. "I don't know if he's here yet, or what he looks like. But when I do, I'll let you know!" 

Nina smiles excitedly at her supervisor, bringing her in for a hug, "Thanks, Jen."

Pushing what Jen had told her to the back of her brain for a while, she starts to fulfill her duties, helping the campers move in and situate themselves into their rooms. As she was walking pass the dining hall, she couldn’t help but make a double take as she passes one counsellor in particular. Taking a few steps back, she instantly recognizes the familiar head of curly hair, instead of letting her presence be known, she decides to surprise her best friend.

She runs over, jumping on the boy's back, causing him to jerk to a stop, he yelps not expecting the sudden weight, still making sure the girl on his back doesn't fall even if he didn’t know who it was. He looks over to the head hanging over his shoulder, "Hi Richie, didn't expect to see you here." she smiles at the boy, sliding off his back. 

"Nina?" he asks curiously, confused as to why she was at the same camp as him. 

Nina frowns at her friend, "Did you forget me already?" she scoffs, "You're acting like you didn't text me yesterday." she crosses her arms over her chest.

He chuckles at her antics, pulling her in for a hug, "Of course I didn't forget you Nins," he says pulling away, "I'm just confused as to what you're doing here." 

Nina giggles, "I've been a counsellor here since I was in high school," before she could ask him how he ended up in Salt Lake she was called over from one of the supervisors, needing her assistance. 

She smiles up at her friend, "At least you'll have a friendly face around here. I can show you the ins and outs later, after lights out." she suggests, a little hopeful.

He nods at the girl, waving as she runs off for whatever they needed. This was the first summer for her, in a long time that started out incredible. First, the boy she's been secretly falling for the last few months, was going to be working with her all summer. And, secondly, she was going to finally reunite with her childhood camp friend after 6 years of missing him. She couldn't wait to see what this summer was going to bring.

Richard was waiting for Nina outside the dining hall later that day, his eyes wandered across the campsite, reminiscing on all of his fond memories back in the day. He remembers when he would spend his summers here running around the camp, like he owned it. He was thrilled to be back, this was definitely one of his better memories from his childhood. 

He sees Nina approaching him quickly, with a little skip in her step. Despite Richard basically growing up at this camp, and knowing the ins and outs and the short cuts him and his friend Nini had found when they were younger, he knew a lot has probably changed over the last couple years. Accepting Nina's invitation to show him around was basically a no-brainer, aside from that little nagging voice in his head that this meant a lot more than just hanging out with a friend. 

When she makes a stop in front of him, he couldn't help himself but smile down at the short girl, "How was your first day?" he asks her. 

Returning his smile, "It was good, I got to see some familiar campers, and some new ones. I'm really excited for this summer actually," she admits, she taps him on his arm, "What about you?" She asks, pulling at his wrist as she starts walking, deciding to take him to the lake first – her favourite spot. 

"Good, good. I love kids, you know that, kind of why I want to go into family law. But, they all seem so excited, and I guess I'm just feeding off their excitement." he shrugs. His energy from earlier was starting to wear off; as the day went grew longer, he was ready to enjoy some peace and quiet. No matter how much he loves kids, handling so many of them at once for hours on end, the quiet is definitely something he needed at the end of the day. 

He follows her, as they take the familiar route to the lake. He hasn't had the chance to visit just yet, a little preoccupied with moving and settling in the campers. As the lake starts to come into view, he couldn't help but take in a breath. It was a reminder of his past, him and his best friend would sit down by the docks a lot, playing cards, chatting, sometimes singing. It's where they shared their first kiss, the last summer he had seen the girl – he wonders what she's doing now. 

"So, what brings you to Salt Lake? You following me?" Nina jokes knocking her body into his as she walks alongside him, taking him out of his thoughts. 

“You wish,” Richard laughs, "Actually, I grew up in Salt Lake, born and raised." He says as he takes a seat at the end of the dock, looking out to the water. Despite it being dark, the moon reflected off the water, illuminating the lake. He watches as the waves move ever so slightly, with the wind gusting across it. 

Nina looks at him surprised, taking a seat next to the boy, dangling her legs over the edge, swinging them back and forth. She knocks her foot into his, "I thought you always lived in Chicago, you, EJ and Carlos went to school together," She recalls.

Sometimes he forgets that only EJ and Carlos were aware of his move to the windy city in high school. He didn't exactly broadcast his past to everyone. The only real reason the other two boys knew, is because they met in high school, and knew about the new kid coming all the way from Utah, halfway during their freshman year. 

"I was 14, my parents were getting divorced, and my mom ended up getting custody. And when the papers were being settled, my mom’s job decided to move her across the country, and me along with her." He says, not bothering to look at the girl next to him, focusing his attention on the lake. Richard never really talks about his parents’ divorce, but with her, it was easier. 

At the time, he was so angry, at both of his parents, not fighting to stay together. Even angrier that his dad didn't fight for him, especially when his mom forced him to leave his life behind in Utah. But as he grew older, he understood why everything happened. He understood that his parents weren't happy together, and their happiness matters too, not just his. He still got to see his dad during the summer, and Christmas break. He would fly down to Salt Lake, for a month in the summer. This gave Richard the chance to keep in touch with some of his friends, not completely leaving the life he left behind. 

Nina moves closer, leaning her head on his shoulder, "I never knew, I'm sorry." she apologizes. 

He shakes his head, "don't apologize. It wasn't your fault they got divorced," he lowly chuckles, ducking his head slightly, knocking hers lightly with his own, "It was for the better, anyways. At least now they get along, and they seem a lot happier. Plus, it was years ago." he admits.

"That doesn't mean I'm not sorry. Divorce is never easy, but I'm glad you and your family are happier now. And know, if you ever need anything, I'm right here," She looks up at him, from her spot on his shoulder, taking a hold of one of his hands and squeezing it in reassurance. 

He couldn't help but smile down at the girl, "Thanks, Banina." The nickname causing her to groan, she moves away from him, shoving his shoulder. "You know, I don’t like that name." 

Her response bringing Richard to erupt in laughter, he pulls her closer hugging her, "I know," he laughs into her hair, "but seriously, thank you." She wraps her arms around the boy, allowing herself to melt into his arms even if it was just for a moment. 

"Did you want to see the rest of the camp now?" She asks, reluctantly pulling away from his embrace, "I did promise you the grand tour. I'm kind of an expert around here, you know," she smirks. 

He shakes his head, laughing at her proud smirk, "Maybe another time, I think I just want to sit and talk. The lake is beautiful," he says, looking out to the water. Nina nods in agreement, "It really is." 

They spent the night talking and joking with each other. Nina not knowing that the boy she's been waiting for all these years, was sitting right next to her, joking with each other just like they used to when they were younger.

* * *

They were a few weeks into camp, Nina and Richard had made it a ritual to meet up after lights out and sit together by the lake. They would exchange stories about their day, fighting over who had the crazier or funnier story. Secretly sharing which of their campers were their favourite. The pair would talk about how some their campers were crazy talented, and would make it far. Richard would sometimes bring his guitar, lightly strumming and singing to whatever song came to mind at the time. 

The other counsellors had come to realize the bond between the pair within the first week of camp. Nina, having been counselling there for a number of years, and a camper for the years before that, had known many of the counsellors for years, growing up with them. they questioned her on the cute boy that she spent all her time with. Nina would brush them off, simply telling them that he's one of her friends from college. When she would walk away, she didn't see the way the other counsellors looked at each other knowingly. It’s been a long time since they last saw their fellow counsellor so bubbly and happy. They didn’t think too much of it, assuming the bond just stemmed from all the time they spent together during the school year. Some of Nina’s closer friends still had their suspicions about the pair.

Nina had completely forgotten about the boy Jen had told her about on the first day. Her mind was too focused on either the campers, her other counsellor friends, particularly Richard. Her time more invested in joking around with her friend, and it had slipped her mind, that at the beginning of summer she wanted to search for the boy she once knew amongst the other counsellors. 

This week's theme was 'Blast to the Past' they were teaching the kids to play some of the older classics. At the end of the week, the counsellors had thrown a little party in the dining hall, just for themselves to give them a little bit of a break after the month they've had, constantly watching kids is a lot harder than most people would think. 

The Backstreet Boys was currently blasting through the sound system in the dining hall, and some of the counsellors decided to dress up according to the theme. Nina and Richard had opted out on that one, not having brought anything in preparation for the theme. 

They were sitting at one of the tables, munching on some food, as they were sharing stories with some of the other counsellors. When suddenly, one of her longest friends, Madison, came running over to the table, with a stack of what looked like photo albums in her arms.

"You guys have to check this out, Jen told me she found these in the office. It was kind of what gave her the idea of doing blast to the past week," Madison gushes, "There's a lot of photos from when we were kids," she says, looking over at Nina and few of the other counsellors. 

Nina gasps, looking excitedly at the boy next to her. She grabs one of the albums from Madison, getting ready to open it up, as their friends start to crowd around them to see the photos. She places her hand on top of the book, before opening it up, "Okay, Richard, you are not allowed to judge me. You are going to see mini Nina, and you are not to take pictures, or to share anything embarrassing with our friends back in Chicago, do you understand?" She says with a stern tone.

The counsellors laughed at their friend's mini speech, Richard couldn't help but laugh at the girl next to him, along with their other friends. "Okay, yes, I promise." 

As she opens the book to the first page, he looks back at her, "Can I just have one picture?" he asks, jokingly. She snaps her head in his direction, "Absolutely not!" smacking his shoulder. He throws his hands up in defense, "Fine, fine." 

Nina flips through the pages, some people pointing out some things to Richard and to the other newer friends. Everyone was laughing at the stories that the counsellors shared. The photos were all so reminiscent for them. One of their counsellor friends, Eric, points to a photo of him, retelling the story behind why he was doused in whipped cream.

As Nina flips to the next page, she sees a photo of herself, on the back of her best friend. She smiles down at the photo, she looks over to Richard, nudging him in the shoulder, not realizing the face he was making, "That's me," she points out, "and that was my best friend when we were younger. We ran around here like we owned this camp," she laughs, her finger gliding across the photo. She couldn't help but wonder what he's like now, she smiles down at the photo, remembering the little boy she once knew. Suddenly she recalls that Jen had told her he'd be counselling at their camp this year, but she's yet to figure out who he was, she wonders if Jen ever found out who he was. The other counsellors joining in with her commenting that they were so cute, and was wondering what ever happened to the boy in the photo. 

"You know, he used to call me Nini, because-"

"Because you scraped your knees," Ricky finishes for her, finally looking away from the photo to hold her gaze. She looks up at him confused. "How could you possibly know that?" she asks confused. 

His eyes moved from hers to the photo, "Nina, that's me." he says, pointing at the photo.

The girl’s eyes widen, her jaw dropping, "Ricky?" He looks back to the girl, smiling brightly at her, he nods. 

"Holy shit," she whispers. Her mind swirling with thoughts, she couldn't quite comprehend. Her long lost best friend, she had found 8 months ago in a completely different state and under completely different circumstances, had slowly became her best friend again. 

Ricky smirks at the girl, "Can I take a picture of this one?" he jokes, smiling down at her. 

"Shut up," she blushes, as he takes a picture of the two young best friends. After snapping the photo, she hugs the boy next to her, "I can't believe I found you. In Chicago, of all places." He wraps his arms around her tightly, promising that they'll talk about it later, and to just enjoy the rest of the night with their friends.

They flipped through more albums, pointing things out, retelling their funny stories. As the night grew longer, most of the counsellors and other workers, started dwindling out, making their way back to their cabins for the night. 

Nina grabs Richard's hand, pulling him back to their spot on the dock. He takes a seat, her right next to him, the pair dangling their legs over the edge, just like they always do. "Ricky, huh?" she starts, nudging the boy's shoulder with her own. He laughs, dropping his head down to his chest, "I guess so, Nini." 

She looks out to the water, "At least now I know why you never came back." she says dejectedly. He takes her hand in his, feeling guilty, "I wanted to tell you. But I didn't know how, we never exchanged numbers or anything." 

She looks over to him, "Rich, I know. It's okay, I don’t blame you," she reassures him, squeezing his hand in hers. He turns to face her, "Ricky," he says, "Call me Ricky, the names always been reserved for you." he smiles at her, the comment causing her face to heat up a blush rising to her cheeks. 

It was true, some people had tried to call him Ricky, even when they were at camp together. But he always corrected people, it didn’t feel right when the name was rolling off someone else’s tongue.

"Okay, Ricky," she giggles, knocking her shoulder into his, "I'm going to be completely honest. And I need you to not look at me when I tell you this, it's a little embarrassing." she chuckles nervously. He nods, interlacing their fingers, as he looks out to the water, just like she requested. 

"The first summer you didn't come, I was so lost, sad, a little angry I guess, considering what happened the last time I saw you." she admits, "I still tried my best, to enjoy my summer, hang out with our other friends, you know? But it was never the same. I kept working here every summer, hoping, that maybe one day you'd come back. Ricky, every summer on the first day of camp, I look for you. I have been for the last six years. I guess, seven's my lucky number, huh?" she chuckles, her cheeks burning more than ever before.

He couldn't help but frown at her confession, his feelings overwhelmed him, not really sure what to say. He knew about her feelings regarding the mystery boy at camp, she has told him all about what could've been. How he was the reason she decided to pursue music, it made her feel closer to him.

He recalls the memory she was talking about, the last time they saw each other when they were kids. They were sitting in the exact same spot they were sitting in now, at the time Ricky was still trying to understand what having a crush really meant to him. And, it was like a spur of confidence flushed through him, and he leaned over and kissed his best friend on her pink small lips. She happily kissed him back, but as they pulled away, they remembered summer was nearly over. Only having a week left, and they'd go back to their regular lives. The pair promising to themselves, that they'll find the courage to admit to the other their true feelings before they left. However, it never happened, Nini was ready to tell him the next summer, but he never showed. 

"You know," Richard starts biting his lip nervously, "You were my biggest what if Nini," he admits, keeping his eyes trained on the water in front them. "What if I never left Salt Lake, what if I had the courage to tell you that summer, what if I asked for your number, where could we have been now?" 

Nina looks up at him, eyes trained on his features. Before Nina realizes what she's doing, she takes a hold of his face, bringing him to look at her, and she leans in connecting their lips. Her stomach filled with butterflies, and she couldn't have been happier. Richard moves closer to her, deepening the kiss, one hand tangling into her hair, with the other still intertwined with hers.

As they pull away, Richard carefully looks at the smiling girl in front of him, he smirks at her, “You got better,” he says, laughing.

“Ugh, you ruined it,” she says, playfully moving further from him, disentangling their fingers.

“No, no, come here,” he says, pulling her closer around her waist. She circles her arms around him, as he places his head on top of hers. “Nini, when I first met you all those months ago, I couldn’t understand why we clicked instantly, it’s hard for me warming up to new people, and with you it just came so easy to me. And, now that I know that you were the little girl I met years ago, I understand why. You’ve become my best friend, the person I seek out and who I always want to be around.” He admits, staring off into space as the words flow from his mouth.

She pulls away to look into his eyes, “What are you trying to say Ricky?” she asks.

Bringing his hands to gently hold her face, looking into the dark brown orbs he loves, “I lost my chance 6 years ago, and I’m not going to let that happen again. So, what I’m trying to say is, will you be my girlfriend, Nini?”

Nini pulls his head down to her lips, kissing him once more, “I’d love to.” She whispers, pulling away from the boy.

“You’d love to…” he repeats grinning at the brunette wanting to hear the words fall from her lips.

“To be your girlfriend, yes,” she smiles giddily at him, burying her head into his neck.

"I can't believe I fell for you all over again." She whispers into his ear, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand. He kisses the side of her head, "Me too, baby. Me too." They spent the rest of the night, talking about all their memories from when they were kids, to the time they've spent getting to know each other as adults, not being able to wrap their mind around the fact that they had found each other again.

* * *

Nina bumped into Jen on her way to the dining hall, instantly apologizing for almost knocking her over. Before Jen could leave, Nina asks, “Oh Jen, can I ask you something real quick?”

“Of course, is everything okay?” she says concerned for the young counsellor.

She waves her hand in front of her, “No, yeah, I’m perfect. You know how at the beginning of summer you told me about my old camp friend?” Jen nods, not sure where Nina was going with this. “Well, why didn’t you tell me that it was Rich?”

Jen’s eyes widen at the young girl, “I thought you knew” she admits, “I met him later in the day, on the first day. But I saw you talking to him during dinner, so I figured you found him all on your own.”

Shocked by the older woman’s statement, Nina’s mouth could help but form a small ‘o’ understanding where Jen was coming from. “Oh, well, I just wanted to say thank you, for finding those photo albums. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have known.” Nina admits, smiling at her advisor.

Jen places a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder, “Don’t mention it honey. I’m happy to see you happy.”

* * *

After all the campers were packed and set for the bus, all the counsellors gathered waving to the kids that they’ve gotten to spend the last two months with. When the final bus pulls out of the campsite, the counsellors started talking, walking around, getting ready to say their goodbyes later that evening.

Deciding to celebrate the end of summer with a final bonfire, the counsellors gathered around, letting the fire warm their bodies up from the summer breeze. Nina was nestled into Richard’s side, talking with a few of their friends.

“So, do you guys like Utah or Chicago better?” Madison asks the pair. Looking at one another, knowing what the other was going to say, “Chicago,” they answer in unison, smiling at their friend. Their synchronicity caused their friends to erupt in laughter.

Nina looks at her friends, “I know I say it every summer, but I’m going to miss you guys,” she says, looking at each one of them, “It’s harder because we can’t meet up during the year because I live in Chicago. But seriously, you should come visit us sometime,” she smiles.

Pulling the smiling girl closer to his chest, “You should really. It was great to meet you guys, and for some of you again.” He chuckles at irony of their situation.

Madison looks at the pair adoringly, “I think I speak for everyone, it was great seeing you again Richard. Eric and I might just take you up on your offer.” She laughs, nudging her friend next to her. The rest of the evening was spent around the fire, people singing and dancing the night away. Until it was time to say their final goodbye.

* * *

"Nini," he calls from his spot on the couch, feet kicked up on her coffee table with their movie paused as she went to the kitchen to get more popcorn. "Yeah?" she responds. 

Richard looks up to see his girlfriend standing at the door frame, holding the big bowl. He couldn't help but smile at the girl in front of him, "You know how we took a social media break?" he recalls from the beginning of summer, both agreeing that they were going to spend their summer away from social media, to refresh and cleanse their mind. 

As she sits next to him, she nods tossing some popcorn into her mouth. "I was thinking of posting a photo," he tells her, taking some popcorn from the bowl. She looks at him confused, not sure why he was telling her this, just because they both agreed to a social media cleanse, doesn't mean he has to tell her when he's breaking it. 

"I think you'll understand more if I show you what I want to post," he says, handing her his phone, opened to an Instagram draft. She takes it from his hands gingerly, the first photo was the photo he had taken of their younger selves. She swipes to the second photo which was another one of them, but just from a few days ago, on the last few days of camp. They were standing by the lake, recreating the photo of them when they were younger. Captioning the photo, '7 years apart, and nothing’s changed.'

Nina couldn't help but giggle at the two photos, seeing them side by side. The memories of their summer flowing through her mind. When she flew to Salt Lake for the summer, she didn't think she was going to be spending it working with Richard Bowen, only to find out, he's the young boy she's been waiting for all these years. Much less thinking that she was returning to Chicago with a boyfriend by her side.

"Post it," she says, passing the phone back to him, "Have you told our friends?" she questions, picking up her glass from the table taking a sip from it. 

Taking a hold of his phone shrugging, "No, do you think this should be the way to tell them?" he worries. They were flying back in two days, he could wait the two days so they can tell them in person, if that's what Nina wanted, not just about their relationship status, but the depth of their history. 

Shaking her head, "I think it's funnier this way. Don't post it yet, I want to post one too!" she says excitedly, pulling her phone out of her pocket. 

After a few minutes of Nina tapping away, deciding which photos she wanted to post, she settled on the same photo from when they were younger that he chose, and a few other ones she had taken from the scrapbooks, and the last was a more recent photo of the pair. Deciding to caption it, 'After 7 years, happy to have found you again.' Tacking on a heart emoji and a smiley face, she shows it to her boyfriend smiling cheekily at him. Swiping through the photos he agrees, deciding to post it at the same time. 

Both clicking share at the same time, instantly going to the other's account to like and comment on their photos. She turns to him, "Do you think it's mean if we turn our phones off for the next two days, until we land in Chicago?" she teases, wanting to rile their friends up a little bit more. 

He couldn't help but laugh at her suggestion, instantly agreeing, "They're going to hate us," he says laughing, "but it'll be worth it." he adds, tossing an arm around her shoulder and pressing a kiss to her temple. 

As they turn their phones off, Richard grabs the remote, pressing play on their forgotten movie, he leans back into the couch. Nina snuggles into his side, hugging him around his waist, pulling her legs to drape across his lap. The pair’s eyes fixed on the screen, embracing the little time they had left in Salt Lake City, before being thrown back into their busy lives.

* * *

After Nina and Richard arrived in Chicago, he dropped her off back at her dorm, letting her get settled back in. With a final kiss, she promises him that she'll come by once she's finished unpacking. Nina got most of her unpacking done, fitting her clothes back into her closet and dresser, pinning up some new photos she had taken that summer on her wall, along with the collection of polaroid’s and photos. Deciding to finish unpacking the remainder of her things later, she heads over to Richard's. 

She knocks on the door, and just as she's lowering her hand, the door swings open. "You came earlier than I thought you would," he laughs opening the door wider to let her in, she leans up pressing a quick kiss to his lips. 

Kicking off her shoes, she walks over lying down on the familiar couch, "I technically didn't finish unpacking, if I’m being honest" she laughs, "but I didn't want to anymore, I wanted to be with you." She watches as Richard walks over to her, sitting right next to her head. She moves her body upward instinctively, so her head lay in his lap, his fingers move to run through her hair, soothing the girl. “You act like you didn’t spend every day with me for the last two months,” he chuckles.

She laughs quietly, his fingers that were running through her hair caused her to yawn, "Why am I tired?" she asks, mostly to herself. He chuckles at the girl in his lap, "because someone decided we should catch an early flight."

She slaps the boy's knee, "Shut up," she says, twisting some of the string bracelets some of the campers had made for her. At the end of every summer, Nina misses the kids, no matter how crazy they drove her, they always held a special place in her heart. 

"Do you miss your campers?" she asks, out of the blue, not tearing her eyes away from the bracelets wrapped around her wrist. 

Looking down, watching her carefully, "Yeah, but probably not as much as you do. You've been working with them for so many years," he says, grabbing one of her hands, rubbing circles into it, knowing she's not just missing the campers but her home. "Nini, it's okay to be homesick." 

She sighs, squeezing his hand, blinking her tears back into her eyes, "I know. Don't get me wrong, I love Chicago. I see myself living my life here. It's just SLC has always been my home, I miss my moms, but I'm happier here." She smiles, finally making eye contact with her boyfriend. 

Before Richard could respond, his front door burst open, with a parade of people walking through it. Richard looks up instantly seeing all of their friends, he couldn't help but wonder how they all knew he was back. He hadn't turned his phone on since that night at Nina's house. 

"Yes, please, welcome. Thank you for knocking." Richard says sarcastically, giving his friends a disapproving look. As Nina sits up, questioning their friends, she scoots closer to Richard's side, nudging him with her elbow, reminding him that they would be wanting answers to their posts from a few days ago. He instinctively throws an arm around her shoulder, purely out of habit.

EJ is the first to break the silence, "Okay, good you’re both here. Where do I start? Oh yeah, what the fuck! You can't just post something like that, and fall off the face of the earth!" he shouts to the pair sitting on the couch. They watch him as he paces back and forth in front of them. As the rest of their friends watch amusingly at their frantic friend.

“Babe, calm down,” Gina warns, putting a hand on her boyfriend’s shoulder an attempt to get him to relax.

"Honestly, I didn't think it was that big of deal," Richard says exaggeratedly, Nina instantly knowing what he was trying to do, "Did you, Nini?" She shakes her head, giggling as she watches their friends faces as he calls her by her nickname. 

"Nini?" Ashlyn questions. 

Nina smiles at the group, "Yeah, but for Ricky's use only!" she laughs. 

"Ricky?" Kourtney questions. 

Nina and Richard couldn't keep their laughter to themselves, "Yup," he states, popping the ‘p’, "and for Nini's use only!" he repeats, nudging the girl beside him. 

The group slowly getting irritated because they weren't elaborating on what they came in here for. Seb approaches them, always being the calmest out of the rambunctious group, "Okay, could you just tell us what happened this summer?" asking them politely.

"It's a long story," Richard starts, "I think you should all sit down for it," Nina continues. 

Carlos interjects, "They finish each other's sentences, that's so cute!" he exclaims, taking a seat on the love seat next to his boyfriend. 

As the group gathered around, some on the floor and others on the couch, they look to the pair expectantly. Nina looks to Richard, not really sure where to start, because their story didn't exactly start from that summer, but the summer 13 years prior when they first met. That's where Nina decides to begin, recounting the little boy who became her best friend 13 years ago. Richard continues telling them about his move, and how he never thought he'd get the chance to see Nini ever again. And that summer, they were both surprised the other was working at the same summer camp, what a coincidence that was. They shared how they spent a lot of their nights together, not realizing who the other was to each other really, until the one night that changed everything, skipping over the part that they were dating.

"Well fuck, if that's not the cutest long-lost friend reunion story, I don't know what is." Kourtney is the first to comment. 

"And of all places to find each other, it's in god damn Chicago, which is like a thousand miles from where you guys first met." Ashlyn adds. The pair nodding at their friends, agreeing what a small world they live in. There were so many coincidences in their story, that it was uncanny, no one could really believe their chances of meeting again.

“Wait!” EJ interrupts the chatter going around, it was clear he was thinking heavily about something before he leans forward as he continues, “Does this mean Nina’s your longest best friend?” The group couldn’t help but laugh at their friend’s question, because of course that is where EJ’s brain travels to. “We all thought it was me this whole time, but suddenly Nina shows up and has 13 years up on me, how is this fair?” he whines, slumping back into the couch.

Nina couldn’t help but giggle at EJ’s antics, she hides her face in Richard’s neck. EJ stands up, “Okay, you know what? Nina, we are going to fight for top spot, I want to be #1, will you accept the duel?” EJ challenges sticking his hand out for her to shake, looking down at the girl on the couch. Nina was about to stand up to accept the challenge.

The arm around the small girl tightens around her, keeping her in place, “Excuse me, no one’s fighting my girlfriend.” He protests.

“GIRLFRIEND?” the group shouts in unison.

Richard’s mouth forms an ‘o’ realizing his little slip up, he chuckles, “Um, surprise?”

He turns to the girl next to him, “Sorry baby, I let it slip.” She smiles at him, pressing a quick kiss to his lips, “It’s okay, they were going to figure it out eventually.”

Big Red speaks up from his spot on the floor, “Did you skip the part where you guys finally figured your feelings out?” he jokes. Richard and Nina’s faces start to burn, turning bright red from embarrassment. They tell the story about what happened on the dock the night they found out who each other really was, leaving out a lot of details, wanting to keep some of it just for themselves.

“Well,” EJ starts, “At least we all know, I’m the best friend, and Nina’s the girlfriend.” He chides, puffing his chest out a little, proud of himself.

Nina grabs a pillow and whips it at EJ, causing him to fall back slightly into the couch, “Excuse me, I’m the best friend AND the girlfriend. So, fuck you, I win.” She jokes, sticking her tongue out at the tall boy.

“Rich your girlfriend is being mean to me!” he cries, pointing at the small brunette.

Richard couldn’t help but chuckle at his friend, “I mean you deserve it.” He watches as EJ grabs his chest in shock. Everyone couldn’t help but laugh at the chain of events that had just occurred between the trio. “I feel cheated.” He whispers.

Carlos pipes up from his spot next to Seb, “Oh baby, it shouldn’t feel new, you lose at all video games too.” The rest of the day, Richard’s apartment was full of laughter and jokes. Everyone catching the other up on their summers, as they debated over what they wanted to eat for dinner.

Looking over to his girlfriend, seeing her surrounded by all their friends enjoying being back in the city they both silently agreed to grow old together in. He hugs her waist pulling her into his lap, “You were worth the wait, Nini,” he whispers into the back of her neck. She wraps an arm around his shoulder, “I know,” she giggles, pressing a kiss to his lips before he could protest, “I’m happy that I found you after all this time.”

**Author's Note:**

> i really hope you guys liked this one! this is my longest fic to date, kind of crazy how long it is tbh. i'm waiting to see how many words is too long for a one shot haha
> 
> don't forget to leave a kudos and comment, they're what keep me going :')
> 
> thank you so much for reading and all the support xx


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